Mayor Celso Lobregat yesterday reiterated his urgent appeal for residents to support and cooperate in the anti-dengue effort in a bid to effectively contain the dengue outbreak.

The mayor issued the appeal, as dengue cases continue to soar 15 days after the declaration of a dengue outbreak in the city.

From 12 last week, the dengue death toll climbed to 13 on Monday (May 28) with the death of a 10-year old child from Poblacion, Manicahan. From January 1 to May 25, total cases of dengue have reached 1,002 with May 1-25 registering 221 cases—barely 55 cases below the outbreak threshold for the month of May.

Mayor Lobregat said dengue prevention and control must be a continuous and joint effort of the city government, the barangay officials, the individual households and all sectors.

The city government, through the City Health Office and other local agencies concerned, is doing everything possible to address the dengue outbreak but all efforts will be futile if the barangays, individual households and all other sectors will not do their part, the chief executive stressed. Various anti-dengue efforts have been undertaken that include spearheading simultaneous citywide cleanup drives, advocacy campaigns, distribution of anti-mosquito larvae chemicals and numerous others.

Dengue is caused by a virus transmitted mosquitoes, however dengue can be prevented through the 4 S strategy: Search and destroy breeding sites of dengue mosquitoes; Self protection; Seek early consultation and Say no to indiscriminate fogging.

Mayor Lobregat and health authorities headed by City Health Officer Dr. Rodelin Agbulos have time and again emphasized the urgent need for people to search and destroy breeding sites of dengue carrier-mosquitoes, specifically stagnant clear water in cans, flower vases, rain barrels and old rubber tires among others.

“We have to unite and join together. Let us act now with a sense of urgency and try to eliminate these breeding places through the search and destroy drives,” Lobregat pointed out.

Dr. Agbulos said the basic and primary thing to do in cases like this is the massive and simultaneous cleanup activity and emphasized that the cooperation of everybody including the media is very essential.

Lobregat lamented that some people blame the city government for the outbreak specifically the deaths caused by the mosquito-borne disease. He emphasized that the city government has done all efforts to lead and to set examples but said that the conduct of cleanup activities in home backyards and inside households are the responsibilities and obligation of each and every family and individual households. — Sheila Covarrubias